Saturday, November 10, 2018

Please, could somebody write an analysis of the symbols and motifs which can be found in the play? Thank you.

Many of the themes in Don Juan Tenorio are focused on the religious symbols in the story. While the first half is a tragedy about two men who bet against one another to see who can cause the most damage in a year, the second half is about Don Juan choosing whether to believe that he can be saved through a bargain Ines made with God.
The motif of innocence is embodied in the character of Ines, who Don Juan is planning to marry. She is barely 17 and has spent her entire life living in a convent. She makes choices based on that innocence: Ines is so pure of spirit that God allows her to bargain her soul to try to save Don Juan.
The innocence of Ines can be seen in the statue that marks her grave. When she appears and offers the deal to Don Juan—salvation for both or damnation for both—the statue disappears. On one hand, it is proof that her spirit is telling the truth and is not just a trick. On the other, Ines's statue functions as a symbol of her life on Earth. She was something beautiful, and now she is gone because of Don Juan's actions.
Another symbol is the carnival celebration, as well as the mask that Don Gonzalo puts on at the beginning of the play. He dons it to hide his identity from Don Juan and Don Luis, but at the same time, he is using it to discover the true character of Don Juan. The people in the play hide their true intentions and identities at the beginning, which happens to be during a time when people roam the streets in masks and make merry.
The motif of tables being set for people is another that the author uses to illustrate what a person deserves. For example, the innkeeper at the beginning sets a specific table for Don Juan and Don Luis. He says, "You'll see, I'm setting a table for them: and if you like I'll place you here, so you can see, then, the meal I'm serving them. Oh I hope the scene will amaze you." He also ferries Don Gonzalo and Don Diego to their tables, so they can secretly watch the other two men. In this way, the innkeeper gives Don Juan what he deserves; he is seen as the person he is in front of his father and potential father-in-law.
In the second act of the play, Don Juan hosts a banquet for his friends. At it, the statue of Don Gonzalo that is haunted by Gonzalo himself invites Don Juan to a feast he has set in the cemetery. When Don Juan arrives, he discovers that the food on the table is a mockery of the food the night before. There are ashes and snakes to eat; the event is surrounded by ghouls. This shows Don Juan what he has earned and is something Gonzalo uses as a way to convince Don Juan to repent.
The motif of sin and forgiveness is a major one throughout the play. When Don Juan presents himself to Gonzalo and Luis at the end of act 1, begging their forgiveness and saying he is a changed man, they refuse him. He says that Don Gonzalo is taking away his salvation in refusing to let Ines marry him. When they still refuse to forgive his actions, Don Juan kills them both.
In the second act, Gonzalo appears to urge Don Juan to accept the deal Ines made that would save his soul. Funeral sounds signify his coming doom; death bells play. Skeletons come from nearby tombs to claim him. The ghouls of Hell appear to show Don Juan what awaits him in Hell and as they come to take him, he finally yields to the bargain. He reaches for Ines, and she pulls him toward Heaven. Angels appear and sprinkle flowers and perfume on Juan and Ines. Light appears. Their souls, which are shown to be flames that come from their mouths, leave their bodies and go toward Heaven, together and saved.

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